Trolling

[Neil]

http://t.co/TlAxTJsw

Am I alone in thinking the Muamba one seems a bit unnecessary? Talk of a prison sentence seems unduly harsh, and I doubt it'll happen. The guy was being a cunt, but it seems he is clearly being made an example of because he targeted someone in the public eye.

"RIP trolling" is a lot more obnoxious, and the recent Richard Bacon documentary on BBC 3 showed a guy who got done for it.

Anyway, what's your opinion on legislating against online abuse?

[phes]

I'm gobsmacked by it. The guy should be ashamed of himself, but locked up, given a criminal record? That's a bit, well, creepy.

[Thursday]

I thought abusing celebrities was the whole point of twitter.

I'm not sure what to make of that Muamaba comment, as reprehensible as some of these comments are, I didn't think it was against the law to say things like this, unless it could be perceived as threatening.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

If it's against the law to express happiness that someone is dead - half the country will be arrested when Thatcher kicks the bucket.

[Steve Lampkins]

I'm not sure what to make of that Muamaba comment, as reprehensible as some of these comments are, I didn't think it was against the law to say things like this, unless it could be perceived as threatening.

I was a bit puzzled, but in the comments to that article, it appears there were more tweets (though not directed at Muamba).

Following his tweet about Muamba being dead, he then went on to post several tweets containing violent, racist and sexual threats and insults against other twitter users who upbraided him about his initial comment. That's what lead to the prosecution. I guess the papers aren't printing those comments as they're seen as too graphic. If you really want to know though, I'm sure you'll find them somewhere online if you google it.

[phes]

I think there may have been a few other tweets after that. The usual horrible language:

'suck a n**ger's dick'

type stuff. I guess very publicly ruining a large part of someone's life is a pretty effective way of sending a message to people to think about the consequences of their actions. Not really the right message though, is it. 

[chand]

I think there may have been a few other tweets after that. The usual horrible language:

'suck a n**ger's dick'

type stuff. I guess very publicly ruining a large part of someone's life is a pretty effective way of sending a message to people to think about the consequences of their actions. Not really the right message though, is it.

There were quite a lot, he spend a decent chunk of time hurling abuse at people who criticised him, lots of it racist. Then he realised he was getting noticed and tried the old "Sorry folks, my account has been hack, obviously I'm not a racist" shit.

[Subtle Mocking]

There were quite a lot, he spend a decent chunk of time hurling abuse at people who criticised him, lots of it racist. Then he realised he was getting noticed and tried the old "Sorry folks, my account has been hack, obviously I'm not a racist" shit.

I like to think that he's been imprisoned for using that most pathetic of excuses.

[Big Jack McBastard]

The term "Twacism" – for "twitter racism"

Student Grant and The Modern Parents suddenly popped into my head there.

If the people doing it are too thick to do it anonymously or hide their tracks then they're fair game.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The internet (particularly Youtube for some reason) seems to be an open sewer of racists- a quick reminder if you ever needed it, whether it's strolling through a nice multicultural town centre or living in studentville with everyone getting on fine that xenophobes and genuine racists are pretty much everywhere. This gives them an outlet to spout their nonsense and bigotry with less damage than if they did so elsewhere. So that's something to think about. But likewise the numbers of them seem to normalise their attitudes on the internet. I've wasted so much time online arguing with racists on the assumption that they were in the minority only to discover that half the forum/chatroom/whatever are just like them.

[Famous Mortimer]

The internet (particularly Youtube for some reason) seems to be an open sewer of racists- a quick reminder if you ever needed it, whether it's strolling through a nice multicultural town centre or living in studentville with everyone getting on fine that xenophobes and genuine racists are pretty much everywhere. This gives them an outlet to spout their nonsense and bigotry with less damage than if they did so elsewhere. So that's something to think about. But likewise the numbers of them seem to normalise their attitudes on the internet. I've wasted so much time online arguing with racists on the assumption that they were in the minority only to discover that half the forum/chatroom/whatever are just like them.

Completely agree. While the internet no doubt helps unhappy gay teens in Middle-of-Nowheresville, USA, it also allows people with way-misinformed views to meet other similar people and have their racist views normalised, hardened, call it what you will.

I think the good thing that is internet anonymity shouldn't stretch to hate speech, it may be the thin end of a wedge but I think...I don't know, just publicise them somewhere. Have a big picture of their real face and "they said this". Maybe.

[Big Jack McBastard]

We've all said stupid shit we shouldn't have at some point, should all examples from everyone be plastered next to their big picture?

The issue is twats being unnecessarily persistently shitty to an undeserving target in the face of their own better judgement.

[eluc55]

I'm aware that after the "Could you be friends with a Tory/racist/BNP member" thread, I'm starting to look like a friend of racists everywhere, but I have to fall down on the side of people being allowed to say almost anything they like - with the exception of inciting or threatening actual violence - without any legal repeccusions.

Changing racist behavior can't be forced; it comes from education, and engaging with other groups. We can persuade certainly, but forcing people to change and telling them what to think only strengthens their resolve not to. As someone who believes that prison should only ever be used as a way to protect the public, I can't see how this achieves that. He will simply come back out just as racist, with fewer options in life and more baggage against society.

There's also the risk of punishing people who say things "we don't approve of". It's easy for a bunch of sexy left wing liberals like us to want racism ousted from society, but what if its a view we're more sympathetic to? Where do we - or more crucially, where does a judge - draw the line? Will they always recognise irony? The Right's reaction to Limmy's Thatcher comments on twitter springs to mind. What about people who say appalling things purely to get a reaction? What about unconventional political beliefs on the far left? Things said at protests, or in the heat of the moment?

People need to be able to say whatever they like, no matter how repellent to the minority or majority, and if we want to change those opinions, and stop things like this happening, we need to show why those views are wrong, and make a compelling argument, not force people to do things our way. The only exception i can think of is harrassing an individual directly, or threatening them in one way or another.

[Famous Mortimer]

We've all said stupid shit we shouldn't have at some point, should all examples from everyone be plastered next to their big picture?

The issue is twats being unnecessarily persistently shitty to an undeserving target in the face of their own better judgement.

I can safely say I've never hurled racist abuse at a near-death professional athlete, then hurled more racist abuse at the people who criticised me for saying the first thing.

But you have a point, and I think it would be nice if there were some other way of doing it. I feel a bit more strongly for the rights of black kids to be able to walk down streets without feeling threatened, or women to feel a bit less at risk of rape (have you ever read the abuse any vaguely political woman gets on Twitter?) than I do about the rights of knuckle-dragging fuckwits to say whatever pops into their head.

[phes]

The original tweet wasn't racist, just cruel.

[Zetetic]

But you have a point, and I think it would be nice if there were some other way of doing it.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order with 240 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £150 costs to the court.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The original tweet wasn't racist, just cruel.

But to be clear, he wasn't arrested for the original tweet but the content of what came after.

[sirhenry]

I'm all for freedom of speech, but... [insert reactionary old fart gag here]

My daughter has been suffering some horrendous trolling/ cyberbullying for the last few months. In the last week we have found out that one of the ringleaders is 19. Which to me, as a parent, is wonderful news as it meant we could pass the details on to the police. I will spare you the long rant about teaching young people of today about the consequences of their actions.

[I accept the terms of the]

I'm all for freedom of speech, but... [insert reactionary old fart gag here]

My daughter has been suffering some horrendous trolling/ cyberbullying for the last few months. In the last week we have found out that one of the ringleaders is 19. Which to me, as a parent, is wonderful news as it meant we could pass the details on to the police. I will spare you the long rant about teaching young people of today about the consequences of their actions.

I agree 100% that you should be able to follow this up. It's a shame that a legitimate case like this would be lumped in with the apparent[nb]I'm hoping that this is badly reported and not the full story[/nb] ridiculousness of charging somebody for having a little temper tantrum and using words that try to shock.

[Ignatius_S]

I'm all for freedom of speech, but... [insert reactionary old fart gag here]

My daughter has been suffering some horrendous trolling/ cyberbullying for the last few months. In the last week we have found out that one of the ringleaders is 19. Which to me, as a parent, is wonderful news as it meant we could pass the details on to the police. I will spare you the long rant about teaching young people of today about the consequences of their actions.

There has been some comment that for if someone makes a joke about planting a bomb at an airport, the authorities will look no further than S127 of the Communications Act. But although this is meant to target messages of a "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character" or "for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, persistently makes use of a public electronic communications network", there hasn't been been much visibility in using this law in clear cut cases of cyberbullying/ harrassment etc.

[sirhenry]

But it does boil down to 'where do you draw the line?'. I'd put it somewhere concerned with repeat offences and targeting an individual, which wouldn't include the scattershot abuse sent out by the twat in the news (from what I've heard of his messages).

[Hank Venture]

Surely if the "target" is in the public eye the threshold is different?

[glitch]

Surely if the "target" is in the public eye the threshold is different?

Why should this be a law?

[Hank Venture]

I'm not saying it should be, I'm asking whether that's the case or not. If I tweet Ricky Gervais with abuse five times a day for a year and did the same to a random person, I'd assume the cases would be treated differently?

[rudi]

But it does boil down to 'where do you draw the line?'

I'm not sure there's a line to be drawn, really.

[NoSleep]

I agree 100% that you should be able to follow this up. It's a shame that a legitimate case like this would be lumped in with the apparent[nb]I'm hoping that this is badly reported and not the full story[/nb] ridiculousness of charging somebody for having a little temper tantrum and using words that try to shock.

Yes, we all resort to racial abuse when tempers are a little frayed, don't we?[nb]No.[/nb]

[Petey Pate]

This is what an internet troll looks like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kFNYuteAjA

[I accept the terms of the]

Yes, we all resort to racial abuse when tempers are a little frayed, don't we?[nb]No.[/nb]

Wow, NoSleep misinterprets something to an offensive degree just so he can put himself in a position of moral superiority! I must be reading ANY THREAD ON CAB AT ALL EVER.

[Noodle Lizard]

Dog's pocket.

[NoSleep]

Wow, NoSleep misinterprets something to an offensive degree just so he can put himself in a position of moral superiority! I must be reading ANY THREAD ON CAB AT ALL EVER.

You really must stop assuming the voices in your head are telepathy and go back and read what you wrote.